Mary Chapin Carpenter "Songs From The Movie" at Wolf Trap

It's pretty much a tradition that almost every year Mary Chapin Carpenter comes to the beautiful Filene Center at Wolf Trap to entertain the picnicking crowd on the lawn and those who gather inside the gorgeous wooden pavilion. 

With each visit, Carpenter brings a new set list and element.  A few years ago she was with a band, last year she was with fellow singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin and this year, she performed with the National Symphony Orchestra.


"Songs From The Movie," Carpenter's new album, is a project of love.  Ten songs from her illustrious career are re imagined with an orchestra with her lush voice wrapping around the instrumentation, bringing out the full emotion of each song.

Led by Grammy winning conductor Vince Mendoza, the NSO performed the suit from "To Kill A Mockingbird" before Mary Chapin Carpenter took the stage to thunderous applause dressed in a simple black gown sans guitar and took her place next to the maestro.

Over the course of the evening, Carpenter performed the entire album along with three additional songs-"10,000 Miles," "Stones In The Road" and for her encore, "The Hard Way."  

While many might of been expecting a hit packed show, the night was filled with songs from Carpenter's deeper catalog.  Many of the songs were album tracks that casual fans may have overlooked and were given new life and reintroduced. 

With crickets chirping throughout the evening, a cool breeze blowing, the near 70 piece orchestra playing and Carpenter's beautiful voice wrapped around the music, you couldn't ask for a better way to spend a beautiful Summer night. 

-Set List-

 

Suite from To Kill a Mockingbird
On and On It Goes
Between Here and Gone
Ideas Are Like Stars
The Dreaming Road
I Am a Town-Intermission-
Come On Come On
Mrs. Hemingway
Only A Dream
Stones In The Road
10,000 Miles
Goodnight America
Encore: The Hard Way